Lars Bolander, Living Room

ELLE DECOR: What's the most important thing to you about your room?LARS BOLANDER: That it's cozy and inviting. It's a casual, easy place for entertaining and relaxing. The room has spectacular views. The east and south walls are entirely glass. But when you live in a place you begin not to see the view, and I've been in the apartment when it's foggy outside and pouring rain and the view is obscured. Then the room has to stand on its own.

ED: What were some of your inspirations?LB: I started with the Luciano Zanoni sculpture of a fig tree, which my wife and I bought in Paris. The wood mushrooms are a signature of mine. I have always loved to mix styles, and there are so many of them in this room that it's hard to point out each source. There are some pieces reminiscent of my Swedish upbringing, but I'm not just a Swedish designer. I've been a fairly quiet designer, but I'm changing. I'm finding myself much more drawn to color.

ED: Tell us about your choice of a blue and sand palette.LB: Well, it's inspired by the water, of course. This room has very intense light all day, so you need colors that don't demand too much attention. The window shades, which are a natural, sustainable fiber, are gray and echo the color of the beech floor by Lauzon.

ED: Speaking of the floor, what is your best advice for using a patterned rug?LB: Either use a carpet with light colors and a stronger palette in the rest of the room, or the reverse.

ED: What lessons would you hope people take away from this room?LB: Always be daring, and follow your instincts. Remember, you are going to live in this environment.

ELLE DECOR: What was the biggest problem you faced in the room?LYNDA MURRAY: It's a very small space, only 240 square feet, and has a very unusual shape. But I had to make it comfortable as a place to watch TV.

ED: After you made your plan, what was the first piece you chose for the room?LM: The Holly Hunt Studio daybed. I actually ordered two of them to face the wall where the stainless steel Chinese cabinet is now, but they didn't fit. You would have had to climb over furniture to get to the television.

ED: So you don't subscribe to the theory that a small room should be as full as possible?
LM: No, I don't think any room should be as full as possible. Less is more.

ED: Do you tend to like reflective surfaces?
LM: I use them sparingly, like color, as accents. I thought this room could use the splash of the gold and silver tones. It has a big window and a great view, but it still seemed kind of dark.

ED: What was your biggest surprise in working on the room?LM: That the Phillip Jeffries wallpaper I ordered, Natural Illusions Silk Road, is actually vinyl, so you can wipe it off with a sponge. It has a lovely texture and very nice color. Vinyl wallpaper has certainly come a long way.

ED: What's the most important design lesson of this room?LM: With a little imagination, you can do a lot in an odd-shaped room and pull off a look that works and feels right for the space.

ELLE DECOR: What was the creative impulse behind the wallpaper in the lounge?TAMZIN GREENHILL: It was the first decision I made. I went with the Nobilis faux-bois pattern because I felt the room needed to be warmed up with texture—floor-to-ceiling windows can be cold and generic. I hung the paper horizontally so the room wouldn't feel too cabin-y and to help the proportions of the space, since the ceilings are quite high but the room's footprint is not that big. To differentiate the two spaces, I used two colors of the same paper.

ED: What went into your choice of colors?TG: I wanted the room to be masculine and light, which is hard to do because one usually associates masculine interiors with darker colors. Luckily, my space had dark wood floors, which enhance the impact of the lighter colors. Then, in keeping with the dual versions of the wallpapers, for the curtains I chose two patterns of Rosa Bernal linen from Claremont, so that the color scheme of one area is the reverse of the other. For me, Bernal's fabrics are traditional and modern at the same time.

ED: How do you keep patterned rugs from looking too busy in a room?TG: Both the Luke Irwin ikat in the lounge and the star-pattern rug from the Rug Company in the office are understated—anything too strong or geometric would have been overpowering. The ikat has a large pattern, but it's subdued, almost washed out.

ED: What is your favorite thing about the two spaces?TG: They came alive thanks to Sima Familant, an art adviser who served as curator for the project. The art is an integral part of the overall look. The pieces we chose are sexy and masculine. The Anne Collier photograph above the sectional is so fitting, as it looks like an eye staring into the sun—which is actually what your eye does on the 43rd floor of a high rise overlooking the sea.

Deborah Wecselman, Dining Room

ELLE DECOR: Every room needs a starting point. Where did you start?DEBORAH WECSELMAN: Everything in the room evolved from the hand-painted Porter Teleo wallpaper on the ceiling. It's called Tangled, and people seemed to really love it—although perhaps not everyone loved it on the ceiling. I was trying to do something different, to push myself in new directions.

ED: What inspired you to use a banquette in the dining room?DW: The views! If the table were in the middle of the room, some people would have their backs to the wall of windows. Also, it's an odd-shaped room that is open to the living room on one side and the kitchen on the other, and it serves as a pathway, so you don't want to block the flow of traffic.

ED: How did you develop the color palette?DW: I love color. I favor oranges and cinnamons and blues, but lately I've been obsessed with teal. Teal is a very Miami color, but this one—Ralph Lauren's Baltic Blue—is deeply saturated. Given the ceiling, the floor, the walls, and the banquette, I really couldn't add much more color, except as accents in the pillows, for example. So I used metallics and textures, like the goat-hair rug, which Stark cut into a circle for this room.

ED: What went into your choice of chandelier?DW: I have a passion for lighting. This particular fixture is by Billy Cotton. It's called Pick Up and it comes in a variety of finishes and configurations. I think of it as a contemporary take on the Sputnik chandelier.

ED: Were you conscious, while designing this room, that you would be exhibiting a space during Art Basel Miami Beach and would be associated with Design Miami?DW: I wanted to be bold, to show what I might do without having to answer to a client. I love every single piece in this room, and I love the mix. The challenge is to get the right balance, vintage with custom. I like to mix things up, but getting the look right can be tricky.

ELLE DECOR: What was the inspiration for the covered terrace?JAMES J. WALL: I think that every room should have one bold conceptual gesture as a focal point for the rest of the space. That's how to make a room unique. The covered outdoor space is huge, so it needed to be divided up to create some intimacy. Plus, it has exposed pipes, like a loft. I decided to honor the pipes instead of trying to make them disappear. I even painted one of them gold.

ED: What's the story behind the rope wall?JW: I've grown up sailing all my life, so rope is a very natural material for me. The manila rope I used is a reference to macramé, which was developed by Arab weavers in the 12th century and spread by sailors. I developed this project with students from DASH, the Design Architecture Senior High, which was the beneficiary of the Showhouse. So I worked out the design with the kids, who installed it, quite heroically. There are gold chains in between the ropes to add an element of surprise.

ED: Was the lighting especially important to you?JW: Absolutely. I chose the light fixture, which has a python pattern embossed in gold on the shade, to enhance the coziness; it diffuses light rather than focusing it. The light fixture is by Corbett Lighting, part of Littman Brands, which also supplied the LED strips mounted on the underside of the gold pipe.

ED: What are some of the challenges of working outdoors?JW: One is corrosion. I've found that the only materials that don't corrode near the ocean are wood and aluminum. So the dining table is teak, long used for shipbuilding, and the sideboard and chairs are aluminum. In fact, the Richard Schultz Swell and 1966 chairs are the first pieces I chose for the terrace.

ELLE DECOR: What's the best way to deal with a room that has an unusual shape?LARRY LASLO: You can't ignore it, that's for sure. And no matter what the shape, you want to design a room that's based on how people use it. Here, I was able to create different zones, such as a relaxation area with a chaise in the corner.

ED: Can a bedroom be too small for a four-poster bed?LL: I don't think so. My theory is that if the piece fits, the room's not too small. I like furniture with some scale, and I think it's a myth to say small rooms need small pieces. I think that actually makes the room look smaller.

ED: The sheen on the fabrics is instantly glamorous.LL: I love sheen. The fabrics on the bed are from my line for Robert Allen, hand-sewn by Lie-Nielsen with Swarovski crystals.

ED: Is there a danger that animal prints can be a little overwhelming?LL: I think of animal prints as more of a neutral. The Stark rug has leopard spots but it's gray—I don't think I've ever done a place without a little leopard! The bench is upholstered with a snakeskin-print linen by Robert Allen, and the console has a faux-shagreen top on a polished-metal base.

ED: Do some rooms lend themselves to certain colors?LL: Absolutely. Bedrooms need to be restful, and I like to keep them light, but this room gets so much sun that I couldn't leave it pure white. The walls, painted in Ralph Lauren's Duchess Lilac, are soothing for sleeping. Conversely I like dining rooms to be dark—red, eggplant, or purple—to stimulate appetite.

ELLE DECOR: What was your strategy for the kitchen?WADE ALLYN HALLOCK: I wanted this to look like a room people actually used, not like one of those gorgeous kitchens where everything is hidden from sight, and you can't possibly imagine someone baking cookies.

ED: Why did you choose neutral tones?WAH: I like a kitchen to be timeless. Then you can have fun with furniture and accessories, which are so much easier to change when you're ready for a new look. Also I prefer natural materials. I love the color and vibrancy of stone. The Ann Sacks tiles on the back­splash are onyx, the countertops are quartz, and the island is a Brazilian granite from Antolini called Black Cosmic.

ED: Is the use of two different cabinet colors a trend right now?WAH: The trend is really for black and dark-charcoal cabinets. These cabinets are all by KraftMaid, and the darker ones are in Slate, a brand-new finish.

ED: What gave you the idea for green as your contrast color?WAH: It was inspired by '70s avocado, only updated. The rectangle painted on the ceiling is Ralph Lauren's Astor Green, which is more apple than avocado. And I designed the chaise for the Dedar fabric, which has a 33-inch repeat and a metallic-like thread in it.

ED: The glamorous seating area is certainly unexpected in a kitchen.WAH: I saw it as an informal gathering place. The idea is that if you wanted to have breakfast, you'd use the architect's stools at the island counter. The chaise and chair would be a great place to serve guests a drink while you finish up preparations for dinner.

ELLE DECOR: So where do you start with a rooftop garden?MARIO NIEVERA: The first thing you have to consider is how much weight a roof can bear. Every building has different rules, and they're very random. An old building can have few restrictions and a new one can be very controlling. We always have to have a structural engineer working with us to evaluate the load.

ED: How can you keep the weight down?MN: Primarily it's through the materials you use. We generally use precast stone in the hardscape, for example, because it's lighter than natural stone. And here we used plastic Tao containers from Crescent Garden. In the case of this apartment at the Paramount Bay, the building is brand new so there was no problem with weight, plus it had lovely flooring, which meant we didn't have to add a surface.

ED: What are the keys to styling a roof deck, or even the garden of a house?MN: Try to complement what's happening inside the house. We want the garden to be a continuation of the inside, so we strive to understand the vocabulary of the home and to translate that for outdoors.

ED: And to be environmentally conscious?MN: Yes. We use native plants or plants that can tolerate local conditions as much as possible. Water becomes an issue in South Florida because we have long stretches without rain. Plants dry out very quickly on a roof deck, especially one this high up. If this were a permanent garden, it would need an irrigation system.

ED: Are there any rules for how much planting and how much hardscape you should have?MN: That's up to you, and also depends on how much weight you can add to your deck. We always endeavor to create spaces for living, just as you would indoors.

ED: What's the biggest difference between landscaping and interior design?MN: I think it's clients' expectations. Both are very personal, but I think people have a very romantic idea about gardens. It's all about how they feel. Indoors they may have issues about color and style, but outside they just want to feel good.

ELLE DECOR: How do you approach the design of a room?JUAN CARLOS ARCILA-DUQUE: I always start with the placement of the furniture; in this case I was guided by the views of the water through the sliding-glass doors leading to the private balcony and the floor-to-ceiling window, which I framed with round white sculptural pieces on an open console.

ED: How did you divide the space in the room?JCA-D: The main space is the sleeping area, of course, but there is a small sitting area for reading, a vanity area for makeup, and a walk-in closet that's behind the bed.

ED: Was the bed the first element you chose for the room?JCA-D: No. The first thing I chose was the deep-aqua Omexco wallpaper with its pattern of gold rope, which I fell in love with. The second statement piece is the four-­poster designed by Christian Astuguevieille, who is represented by Holly Hunt and is known for using rope in his furniture. I call it a chic beach rodeo guest room.

ED: What was the inspiration for the colors?JCA-D: I am known mostly for very minimal, very white spaces, so the use of color was a departure for me. I was inspired by the hues of the environment, and of nature—the colors I see on my many trips to Latin America. The wallpaper, the curtains, the bed, and bench colors are all repeated in the striped rug from the Carpet Boutique.

ED: What about the fabrics?JCA-D: They are primarily natural ones: linen curtains for the window treatments, cotton for the bedding, with an angora throw.

ED: What did you hope to achieve in the room?JCA-D: I think it's very peaceful. Life is crazy out there. I think home is the one place where you should be comfortable, the one where you can relax.

ELLE DECOR: What was the process of designing your space?VINCENZO AVANZATO: It was like "Jack and the Beanstalk." I just threw a bean out there, and it all started to grow.

ED: What was the "bean" piece?VA: The glass wall that's painted in silver leaf by European Décor Studio. And the dining table. We're in Miami, so I wanted to use something from the sea. I pieced driftwood together to form the base.

ED: And the color palette?VA: It was fortunate that the adjoining spaces used sunny hues. I love color. I don't like a room to look too monotone, too beige. Color is especially great in places where the weather can be dreary, like London or even New York. In Miami, we use a lot of white. But I like color even in a white room. No matter where we live, color is powerful. It's nothing to be afraid of.

ED: What were the design challenges?VA: Most of my clients have houses, so I was not prepared for how much wind there is 43 stories above ground. The glass panels helped cut the wind, but we needed extra reinforcing on the lanterns, for example, and there are usually many fewer electrical sources outdoors, so we took that into consideration.

ED: What do you like most about your room?VA: The openness of the space, that it's functional and flexible. I especially love it at night when the lights are on and the candles are lit. For the Showhouse's opening-night party, we projected La Dolce Vita on a screen. Between the terrace lights and the city lights, everything shimmered and came alive.

"Plants are the way to go! I adore plants with big leaves. They are also very good feng shui." —Juan Carlos Arcila-Duque

"To bring the outdoors in, use fabrics that complement the view. For the Showhouse I used blues, because of the sky and water. If you live in a house surrounded by trees, use fabrics with green tones."—Lars Bolander

"I save ceiling treatments for rooms with high or cove ceilings. In a small space, anything you put on the ceiling can feel like it's coming down on your head."—Lynda Murray

"So many times we forget the ceiling. You can make a big design statement with wallpaper or a paint treatment on the ceiling. But if you do, you want to keep the walls simple." —Deborah Wecselman

"I often use color on the ceiling, either a single paint color or a pattern. It can serve as a focal point, for example, over the table in a big dining room. A color block on the ceiling immediately catches your eye and gives instant personality to a room." —Wade Allyn Hallock

Chandeliers

"It is imperative that you take great care in getting the scale right if you plan to use a hanging fixture. Too big is never good. You don't want the fixture to overtake the room. Also, it's key that all lighting be on dimmers."—Lynda Murray

"In a dining room you have to make sure a ceiling fixture is high enough that it's not distracting when you're sitting down, and that it's at about eye level when you're standing. Your ceiling should be high enough that you have at least one foot of chain."—Vincenzo Avanzato

"There's a relationship between the size of the chandelier and the size of the table. I used a 10-foot-long table, so I could go quite large with the fixture. Also consider geometry. I wanted a drum for my space to play against the straight lines of the furniture."—James J. Wall

Patterned Carpets

"If I use a patterned rug, I don't use patterned fabric on the furniture, and vice versa. Keep one or the other solid."—Lynda Murray

"A tone-on-tone design that is cut or woven into the rug gives you great texture and a sense of pattern without drawing too much focus." —Tamzin Greenhill

"You can use a patterned carpet with patterned furniture fabric if the scales don't clash. If the rug pattern is large scale, you have to use more subdued fabrics for the upholstery and curtains. Conversely, if you have a bold upholstery fabric, you need a quieter rug." —Wade Allyn Hallock

"For me it all depends on the size of the rug. I only use a pattern if it's a relatively small rug. If I were doing wall-to-wall carpeting, I would go with a solid color."—Larry Laslo